Floating Lanterns in Peace Memorial Park

Once the sun starts to go down, people line up and write messages of peace on colorful origami paper and wait in long lines that wind around the park before they reach the steps that lead down to the Otagawa river.

At the water’s edge, they release these beautiful lanterns hoping for peace, happiness, love, and friendship.

Early in the evening the lanterns flow toward the sea and later on, they change course and flow upriver. It is a beautiful, peaceful end to a day paying respects to those who lost their lives while hoping for a better future.

About Us

Joy and Paul Walsh started GetHiroshima in 1999 with the aim of creating an online English language resource to help people enjoy their time in this amazing city to the full. The mission remains the same and, whether you are here for a day or a decade, we hope that GetHiroshima helps you dig that little bit deeper, and get you a little bit closer to the heart of Hiroshima.